Ball retriever



I. MACDONALD BALL RETRIEVEIR Dec. 5, 1933.

Filed Dec. 6. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 Fig? '1. z I |NVENTOR IanMacdonald I. MACDONALD 4 BALL RETRIEVER Dec. 5, 1933.

6, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR Ian Macdonald Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES BALLRETRIEVER Ian Macdonald, Modesto, Calif. Application December 6, 1332.Serial No. 645,907

5 Claims. (01. 273-66) This invention. relates to golfing accessories,my principal object being to provide a device for gathering balls fromthe ground and for then retaining them in compact relationship until itis again desired to use the balls.

The device is particularly intended for use in connection with practicework, as when a number of balls are shot with any one'club from the samepoint and they all lie'on the fairway within a limited area.- The ballsare then retrieved, or brought back, to the tee or starting point andagain shot out, these operations being frequently repeated many timesduring the course of a thorough practice. a i

It is at present customary for the practice balls to be carried in a bagand to retrieve them, either acaddy is hired to shag the balls as theyare shot out, or the player must himself walk out after he has finishedpracticing and stoop and retrieve the balls one by one, and place themindividually in the bag. The latter procedure is by far the most commonand necessitates an ultimately tiring stooping andbending move-' mentfor each ball retrieved.

What is more objectionable from a golfing standpoint is the fact-thatthe fairway is apt to be wetfrom dew or sprinkling and the handretrieving the balls finally becomes thoroughly weta condition which asis well known is fatal to a proper grip on the clubs.

My improved device eliminates these objectionable features in thatlittle or no bending is necessary. and the hands of the player nevertouch the balls so that he can maintain them in a properly drycondition. Also it is much easier to ascertain whether. all theballs'shot have been retrieved than is at present the case and withouthaving to keep any mental count.

l A further object is to provide a device for the purpose which whilecapable of retaining two or three dozen balls may be carried ina golfbag if desired and which will positively protect the balls therein frompossible damage from clubs and other exterior objects. l i While thedevice will be mainly used for retrieving balls from the fairway it maybe also used for gathering up balls on 2. putting green without damagingthe surface of the latter in any way. i

.A further object of the invention is to produce a simple andinexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective forthe purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as V will fully appear by a perusal of thefollowing specification and claims.

In the drawingssimilar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my retriever in a ball retrievingposition. v

Fig.2 is a similar view of the retriever as inverted to discharge theballs.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of the top portion of the device withthe removable cap in place. i

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the cap adjacent but removed from the ballcontainer to illustrate the normal size or" the container relative tothe cap.

Fig. 5 is a section of the lower portion of the deviceshowing thelocation of the first ball retrieved therein.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the advancement of said first ball pastthe stop with the retrieving of a second ball.

. Fig. 7 is a similar view showingthe second ball fully retrieved orengaged and the first ball'fully advanced beyond the stop.

,Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the device as the bands 4, is engaged and secured about thelower end of the tube. Secured intermediate its ends to the sleeveintermediate its ends by arivet or the like as at 6 is a longitudinallyextending strap or single leaf spring 7, the width of which is such thatit fits within the slot 2. The lower portion of the spring below therivet fiprojects inwardly of the sleeve and tube and terminates in adownwardly and outwardly curving portion 8. The normal or slack positionof the innermost point of the portion 8'is a lesser distance from theopposite side of the tube than thediameter of a ball, While thecurvature of the spring from said point to the rivet 6 approximates thatof a ball, as shown in Figs. 5 and '7. Similarly the upperportion of thespring above the rivet 6 projects inwardly of the tube with a curvatureapproximating that of a ball, andits upperend is normally spaced fromthe opposite side of the tube a distance considerably less than thediameter of a ball, as shown in Figs. 5 and '7. The length of the springfrom the curved portion 8 to the upper .extremityapproximates thediameter of a golf ball.

The top of the tube is normally covered by a removable cap 9 which isthe same interior diameter as the bands 4. Since. the tube tends toexpand its normal size at its upper end, where there is no securing band4, its diameter is greater than that of the cap and it must therefore becontracted to enable the cap to fit over the same. This gives a snug fitto'the. cap tending to prevent the undesired removal of the same. As afurther safeguard against such undesired removal; asby the weight of theballs in the tube pressing against the same, I form inwardly projectingnubs 10 about the cap, which engage a circumferential groove 11 in thetube adjacent its upper end.

In operation the device is held in one hand and its lower end is placedover a ball lying on:

the ground. A downward pressure on the tube causes the lower portion 8of the spring to be deflected outwardly so as to permit the ball to passby said portion, the peculiar shape of which permits said ball to beengaged and the spring to be deflected without possible damage beingdone to the ball. By the time the tube is depressed to the ground theball has passed the portion 8 and said portion has returned to'itsnormal position and is then under the ball, as shown in'Fig. 5,positively preventing dropping of the ball when the tube is lifted. Itis of course to be understood that'the inherent strength of the springis greater than the pressure due to the weight of the ball itself. Whenthe tube is again engaged with another ball, the ball already retainedin the tube is, pressed up by the ball now entering and said upper balldeflects the upper portion of the spring as shown in Fig. 6 so as topermit said upper ball to pass by the same.

As the upper portion or" the spring again moves inwardly and under theball as said spring is released, with the upward movement of the ballpast the spring'the latter finallysupports said ball and prevents thesame from pressing down on the ball below. This upper portion of'thespring thus forms a stop and support for the main mass of balls asreceived and forced up in the tube, preventing such pressure beingretained on the lowest ball supported by the lower portion of the springas would cause said portion to be forced outwardly and the balls to droptothe' ground. The upper portion of the springcannot thus move howeverno matter how many-balls may be pressing down on the same since thepressure to release and press the upper portion of the spring outwardlymust come from below, as will be evident.

The above operations are continueduntil all the balls in sight have beenretrieved. To enable the player to ascertain whether he has retrievedall the-balls shown-assuming he knows the initial number-I may providethe tube to one side of the slot with numbers as'at 12 reading fromthebottom-up and spaced corresponding to the diameter or the spacing of theballs in the tube. Even without such numbers; the balls are readilyvisible through the slot 2 and countinging in the adjacent portion ofthetube 1 with the. hand, andthetube is-then inverted 'to permit the ballsto roll out one by one and onto the ily seen that I have produced such adevice as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as setforth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device," still in practice such deviations from suchdetail. may be resorted to as do not form-a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A ball retrieving device comprising a ball retaining receptaclehaving a bottom opening to be'engaged with and of a size to pass over aball, means mounted in the device adjacent the opening to engage a ballwhich has passed through the opening'to prevent retractive movement ofsaid ball and further ball engaging means in the device beyond saidfirst named means to subsequently support a ball after it has beenadvanced beyond said first named means to hold such ball from pressingagainst another ball subsequently passed through'the opening and engagedby said first named'means.

2. A ball'retrieving device comprising an openended tube having aninterior diameter greater thanthe diameter'of a ball, means in the tubeadjacent one end to yieldably resist movement of a ball into saidend-and preventing retractive movement o'f'the ball of its own weightafter it has been'thus moved, and furthermeansin the tube beyond saidfirst named means to support the ball after it has been advanced intothe tube a sufficient distance to hold it'from pressing conward theopposite side'thereof to a point spaced from said' opposite side adistancel'ess than the diameter of a ball, so as-to prevent retractivemovement of'the'ball after it has once moved along the tube past theelement, and an'exten sion formed with said element and projectinginwardly and lengthwise'of' the tube'from the'point' of fasteningof theelement *in' the directiona-way from the adjacent endof the tubetoa-termina tion spaced'from' the opposite side of the tube a distanceless than thediameterof a'ball:

4'. A ball retrieving and r'etaining device com prising an openend'ed'tube having an interior diameter 'grea'ter than that of 'a ball,-n'ieansin' the tube adjacent one end to'prevent 'retractive movemento'fa ball due to its weight'after it has been receivedin said end whilepermitting movement of the ball toward. theopposite end of the tube, andmovable means-at said'oppositeend' ofthe tube normally preventingdischarge of balls from such end.

5. A ball retrieving and retaining device com-' prising an openendedtube having-an interior diameter greater than that of a ball, meansin the tube adjacent one end to prevent retractive movement of' aball'due to its'wei'ght after it has b'een received in saidendwhile'permittihg movement of the ball toward the opposite end" of thetube, said tube beingsplit lengthwise from said opposite end toward saidone end and being expandingly resilient wherebyit tends to'enlarge' fromits predetermined diameter, anda' cap re-- movably mounted over'said"opposite= end "of the tube and acting tociholdithe'tube-toits-predetermineddiameter; the resiliencyof the tube'yieldably holdingthe cap againstremoval.

IAN-MACDONALD;

